The role of the Biostatistics Core in this Program Project is to support and integrate the clinical and laboratory-based projects. This includes collaboration with investigators in the design and conduct of research studies, statistical modeling, hypothesis formulation, data analyses, and statistical software development. There are three major activities: (1) providing statistical consultation and collaboration in the planning, conduct, analysis and reporting of clinical trials; (2) consultation and collaboration with laboratory-based researchers evaluating the mplecular basis of MDS; (3) evaluating the prognostic significance of these cellular and molecular markers'measured at both baseline and follow-up time.